Snow
by SouhiBear
Summary: Shikamaru loves Neji. He thinks he always has. And now, with the Hyuuga living with him, his feelings have only doubled. However, Neji refuses to show any feelings back. It seems that Neji's keeping a lot of secrets though... T for now ;D


_AN: Ok, first possible long story;; Feedback is really appreciated any ideas too!! I'm not sure whether to carry on with this or not, but - we'll see!! Thank you for reading and I do not own characters or Naruto!!_

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It was quiet. It was calm. It was light. Soft, serene and sweet.

The window of the cream coloured room was open just an inch. A soft, summer breeze blew the linen curtain gently and filled the room with warm air, the sounds of song birds..

Features completely relaxed save for a small smile, hair just a little messed up, sheet wrapped around his middle, Shikamaru was asleep.

A slender arm lay possessively over the Nara's middle and the owner of the limb pulled himself closer. With a smirk, he leant forward. Hair sweeping down like a curtain, entrapping the couple in their own, light world. The man pressed his lips to the sleeping Chuunin's.

As soon as the Brunette moved his lips, Shikamaru smiled wider, kissing back yet half asleep. He sighed out, so utterly contented and after a few seconds, he woke. The Nara smirked and nipped his lover's lips, who gasped in reaction and pulled back. He smirked back in seeing the deep brown eyes open.

He raised one eyebrow; 'So we're finally awake?'. Shikamaru laughed and pushed the man down onto the bed, laying over him in turn. He near purred as the man took his hand, lacing their fingers together and letting a soft, strong thumb rub over the Nara's knuckles. His other arm around the man's waist, securing him close. The men lay in perfect silence for a few minutes, the thumb massaging over skin.

It slipped over fingers, wrist and palm. It stroked over thin hairs and gentle creases. It smoothed easily, protectively and lovingly over a band of metal, looped around Shikamaru's finger, on his left hand. His engagement ring. The Nara's smile only widened, eyes half closed in bliss. Their ringed fingers hooked together.

His lover started humming the wedding march, a smile on his face, making Shikamaru laugh and shake his head. "You promised no music..." His lover laughed, nodded an 'I know, I know..'

Shikamaru nodded back, propping himself up a little. He searched white, violet-sheened eyes, let a hand smooth over an ivory cheek, follow through into strands of dark chocolate hair, soft as snow and warmer than life. Neji. _His_ Hyuuga Neji.

Neji was smiling back. His hands were round a strong waist. He gazed at kind, perfect skin and defined beautiful bones, fragile and yet masculine. He wondered at soft eyes filled with love and warmth, cherry blossom coloured lips, perfect too.

He spoke, softly. "..Are you alright, Mr Hyuuga-Nara to be..?" Shikamaru laughed, fingers stroking hair, "Yea.. Nothing's wrong.."

Their lips met once again, soft in the happiness of their love.

Shikamaru awoke with a start.

Mainly because it was cold, it was cold and the bed was.. empty..?

He sat up, yawned and rubbed his eyes. Blinking in surprise, he stared at Neji, leaning on the window sill that his side of the bed was underneath. He was under the curtain and Shikamaru could almost see a tail wagging.

"..What's going on..?" Neji didn't jump. He'd seen him waking, heard him. He simply replied to the question, "...Snowing..."

Slowly, the lazy man smiled. He loved living with Neji. He got to see such a different side than everyone else did. He was allowed to understand Neji so much better. Neji had a strange, childish fascination with snow, for example. He said, 'Snow is like the first breaths of a new born baby. Untouched, untainted by mankind and the world it lays in. Snow, virginal and pure, is crushed under the foot of man, crushed under the heat of the sun. Snow has no future, yet we never forget it...'

No one apart from Shikamaru had heard the murmur under Neji's voice when the first flakes of the year fell. The Nara had no idea how he had thought of such a beautiful saying so quickly, effortlessly. He whispered. 'What..?' and the Hyuuga looked away. The Hyuuga blushed. The Hyuuga muttered, 'Nothing...'

That was just after Neji had been disowned for coming out as a homosexual to his clan. A few people were trying to cheer him up, had a drinking party. But it wasn't working. And only Shikamaru saw that, was the only one listening to Neji's sad rambles. It was a week later that he moved into the Nara's flat as no one else offered a place. And very soon, Neji got back to his strong, if not cold, manner.

Shikamaru sidled over to Neji's side of the bed, slipped under the curtain too.

It was snowing gently. Perfectly. A thick covering lay on the outside sill, along the roads down below, on the trees and the roofs, over the shops and the heads of the Hokages on the mountain top.

"Oh yea.. So it is.." Neji nodded, fist on the wooden ledge, with his other fist over that and that supporting his chin.

Shikamaru gently smiled at him. Neji didn't smile back.

"..Why do you love snow so much..?"

And, as usual, the same as every single time Shikamaru asked it, summer _or_ winter, Neji didn't reply. The Nara didn't let it phase him.

"So I guess your training's off then?" Neji shook his head.

"You'll catch cold..~" Neji didn't answer.

"...Troublesome Hyuuga."

"...Lazy Nara..."

Shikamaru laughed gently. "...Do you want breakfast..?"

"Not yet.. No thank you."

"You wanna watch the snow, right?" Neji nodded silently. "Thought so.."

Shikamaru looked back out of the window again.

He smiled and exhaled on the glass, causing it to steam up. Neji flicked his violet eyes to the childish action, head still facing out to the village.

The Nara smiled again, leant on the wall and wrote in the fog. Wrote 'Neji'.

Neji raised an eyebrow.

Wrote 'Loves'.

Neji raised the other.

'Snow'.

The Hyuuga relaxed. He rolled his eyes and went back to the window, snorting gently. "So very immature, Nara.." Shikamaru shrugged, yawned and stretched his arms over his head and then down his bare back. "True though."  
"Hmmn."

"...Wanna go for a walk later?"

"..Yes please. I'd like that."

"Great, I need to go shopping anyway. We're out of that dipping sauce you like."

"...You're actually quite a considerate pineapple, aren't you?" For a second, Shikamaru thought he may, just _may_, have seen a smile on Neji's face. A hint of a smirk. But it disappeared almost as quickly as it had been detected.

"..Prissy sod." He gently shoved his arm, playful.

"..Also.. Could you _please_ wear more than just your boxers in bed. It's very.." Distracting. "..Inappropriate. I know we share your bed but still."

Shikamaru laughed softly. "Oops.. Sorry, I forget how soft you are."

"I am not. Soft." He said the word like it was a disease.

"Sure. Hard as butter."

The two laughed quietly as Shikamaru was shoved back.

A comfortable quiet followed. Everything felt like it was at ease, all so-

"You were talking in your sleep again.."

...Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce to you, 'uneasiness'.

"..Oh..?"

"Yes."

"...And I was saying?" Neji waited before answering.

"You were laughing a lot, giggling almost. And kept whispering things. You kept reaching out for me. You said, 'You promised no music.' And, 'Yea, Nothing's wrong'. Very sleepily of course..."

Neji remained completely stoic, Shikamaru was blushing, clearly embarrassed. "..Of course..?"

"Mn." Neji verified. Paused. Started again. "...You were dreaming of me again." Not a question, a statement.

"...Yea..."

Shikamaru chewed the inside of his cheek and ached for a cigarette during the long silence that followed. Tin tasting blood touched his tongue. He stopped chewing.

Neji still remained so still. So passive! So perfect... Like his untouched snow. It was driving the Nara crazy. Say something! Say something God damn it! He wanted to turn the Hyuuga, and kiss him hard. /_Then_/ He'd have to react. But quiet still rang through the room for a long time.

He had to break it, the Chuunin couldn't take much more silence.

"..I can't help what my subconscious thinks. I'm trying to forget these feelings. I am.."

More silence.

"...I know it's really awkward, really naïve but I can't help it...! Please, I'm sorry, Neji.."

Even more silence.

"..I'll try harder-"

"-Stop it."

Shikamaru lingered for a second before laying back down in the white bed. He pulled the sheet over his middle.

"...It's not going to happen."

"..I know.."

"...It would be far too..."

"-I know..."

Neji nodded, falling silent again.

"...Couldn't we just try us?"

"-Shikamaru."

"-Just for a week! And if you don't like it then.. Then I'll never ask again! Promise!"

Neji sighed, came out from behind the curtain and looked evenly at the Nara. The Jounin looked tired. Tired of this..

"Listen to me, Shikamaru. Listen." Shikamaru let his eyes drop, nodded. He knew what was coming. "...No. How many times do I have to reject you before you understand? We can't, Shikamaru. For one, I value our friendship far too much to jeopardise it. Secondly, I don't appreciate you in that way. I think it would be so much easier if you left the subject alone for now."

After yet another silence. Shikamaru sighed. Said man shook his head in quiet dismay, one hand rubbing his forehead. He stood and took his clothes to go and get changed elsewhere.

When he'd left the room, Neji sighed silently.

It was a long, quiet morning. Not the first of its kind.

Neji went Training. Shikamaru went Shopping. They didn't have that Walk.

The snow stayed.

The Nara appeared at his front door, arms full of carrier bags.

He turned to his left, shutting the door with his foot and walking into the simple kitchen to put the bag down. Shikamaru reached up, brushing the snow from his hair with a frown.

It was quiet. And dark. Where was, "..Neji?"

No answer.

"Childish.. _Neji?_"

No answer.

"..Fine."

He grumbled, putting away packets of food and bottles of drink. The packet of cigarettes went into the old tea leaves tin, behind boxes and jars of unwanted food and condiments. Neji wouldn't look in there. He smirked.

Sure he'd found the box on the top of the bookcase. Found the odd cigarette in the bathroom cabinet. And even the ones he'd hidden in the plant pots on the balcony. But this hiding place was so obvious, he wouldn't even bother.

The dipping sauce was left on the counter.

The Nara binned the plastic bags, took a cigarette out of the pocket of his Chuunin jacket and then the silver lighter. Wandering out on to the balcony (out of the kitchen, through the adjoining living room), he made sure there was no sign of Neji. There wasn't.

He pulled back the glass door of the balcony and stepped out onto the snow covered concrete of the platform. The crunch of snow underfoot was the only audible sound as Shikamaru walked the metre or so to the icy railing.

It was dark now. Shikamaru had (as usual) left his day's chores to the very last minute. Snow clouds covered the indigo sky, some patches showing flecks of stars and constellations. A whole Universe was out there.. And it was hidden by clouds.

With a sigh, he leant over the bar, looking into Konoha. A great view.

No one was around. The street lights glowed softly, lighting patches of pavement covered in white and footsteps. No one was around.

Shikamaru's fingers snapped at the lid of the lighter. Flicking the flame on and off. On and Off. On and Off. And then left it on. He lit the cigarette which was already held between his lips and took a long intake, sighing happily.

The lighter was switched off. The Chuunin threw it up, letting it twist in the air he could see his breath crystallize in before catching it and calmly putting it away.

He closed his eyes, taking another long, calming intake of cigarette smoke.

He stayed there for an hour in quiet thought. It got a little colder, he got through the whole cigarette.

The Nara opened his eyes to light the second. Took a good drag.

"Hell, that's good.. Hmn! Damn you, Asuma.."

He looked up at the sky, watching the snow still fall gently.

"I wouldn't blame Asuma-san. It's all your own fault with the smoking."

Shikamaru started and turned, cigarette falling from his lips to land and hiss in the snow.

"D-... Don't sneak up on me, Hyuuga!"

Neji smirked, leaning on the wall in the door way. A hand which was behind his back was lifted up. It was holding the red and black tea tin. Which he shook, still smirking.

As it rattled, Shikamaru deflated slightly. He scratched his forehead. "Troublesome..." Byakugan.

Neji laughed and tossed it to him. "Keep them.."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.

"..Just don't over-do it."

"..Yea.. I mean No.."

Neji nodded once, retreating into the house.

"And.. Shikamaru?"

"Yea?"

The Hyuuga half turned, looking at Shikamaru over his shoulder.

"Thank you for the sauce."

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_AN: O-Ok, how was that?_


End file.
